Here is a capsule of an article about a terrific idea for all of you amateur and/or semi-professional photographers who would like to publish a book of your photos.
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
Eileen Gittins' original goal: to self-publish a book of her own photography for close friends.
But there were obstacles. She didn't like the standard photo albums from companies such as MyPublisher and Shutterfly. And she wanted to add a lot of text to her book. Yet, most traditional self-publishing companies required a minimum order of 500 books and upfront fees of thousands of dollars.
So Gittins last May started San-Francisco-based Blurb to fulfill her own need — low-cost self-publishing, courtesy of digital technology.Blurb now has fans among architects, real estate agents, photographers, cookbook authors, museum archivists and others who have used it to print bookstore-quality editions. It takes orders for thousands of books daily, up from hundreds just a few months ago.
A basic hardcover Blurb book is adorned with a full-color, glossy dust cover that looks like it belongs in a bookstore, not on a standard $29.95 homemade project.
"We live and die on … quality," says Gittins. "That's what's really gotten people's attention."Most Blurb customers (Gittins calls them Blurbarians) order books of 100 to 120 pages, and the cost is $37.95. A similar book from Shutterfly or the Kodak EasyShare Gallery would cost upwards of $100.
Gittins says Blurb makes money on every book, and can afford the lower prices thanks to automation.
Blurb's Booksmart software is a free, fully functional layout program. Designing your book — if you are so inspired — can take many hours. But once it's finished and uploaded to Blurb, there's very little human interaction. "We're the cleanest business (that) printing has ever seen," Gittins says. "There are no proofs, just finished books."
For the complete article go to: Blurb goes low-cost publishing route - USATODAY.com.
